Karla Sorto
Pierce College student Terrelle Jones, a 19-year-old business major, resorts to the Learning Center for math tutoring and studying.Jones has been attending Pierce for two years. Like many students, he has stumbled with math and biology. At the Learning Center, he has found tutors who have helped him grasp a better concept of the material he’s studying.”Two weeks after starting my math class, I came to seek for help,” Jones said. “I find that I understand more from the Learning Center tutors than from my professors. They give you a broader picture of the lesson.”Located in the 1600 Building, the Learning Center is a free tutoring facility, which has resources to help students who are in need of academic help, such as whiteboard explainer videos.
Students are able to go into the Learning Center and sign up for tutors, study by themselves, or call upon an available tutor for help. “I call this the cram room,” Jones said. “I do my gathering of information and get to study here.”Jones comes to Pierce on Fridays just to study at the Learning Center.”I didn’t want to come here,” Jones said. “But I needed help, and one of my professors recommended it.”Jones has learned to appreciate the importance of the Learning Center. He has found that it has made a dramatic impact on his academic work.”If I wouldn’t have had access to the tutors, I wouldn’t have understood the concepts in my classes,” he said. “I hope that when I transfer to a four-year university, they will have a similar facility to help me out with my work.” The Learning Center provides a variety of workshops, including math, English, chemistry, physics, sign language and microbiology.Like Jones, 18-year old business major Elio Gonzalez is pleased with the Learning Center’s help and hopes to see more tutors helping students out.”Sometimes, I wait too long to be helped,” Gonzalez said. “Although, the advantage of waiting has its rewards; I seem to understand the tutors 100 percent of the time.”According to David Soto, an instructional assistant in mathematics, tutors in the Learning Center are qualified and trained to teach their fellow peers.”There are three levels of tutoring,” Soto said. “Every department has different requirements.”The math department requires tutors to be full-time students and to pass a test based on one of the three levels of calculus.Students who pass the required test are hired to work at the Learning Center. Their wages vary from $9.20 to $13.25 an hour, depending on the level they have placed in.”I like to award my tutors by the more they know,” Soto said. “By the more money they deserve to earn.”The Learning Center began their tutoring and workshops in Fall ’07. “Student employees are very helpful in some form or another,” said Sarah McCune, Learning Center instructor. “Faculty doesn’t have time to teach students one- on-one lessons, and the tutors here do an excellent job.”The Learning Center is a win-win situation for students in need of help, and tutors seeking job opportunities.Soto believes the Learning Center is a two-way street that prepares students and tutors to be ready to compete in the real world.”A lot of the tutoring that I have done has helped my social skills,” acknowledged Vir-Iaesta Maniquiz, 23, health education major. “I have discovered what works and doesn’t work with people.”Pierce students often see Maniquiz on campus and thank her for tutoring them.”It’s self fulfilling when a student has appreciated what I have done for them,” Maniquiz said. “It helps me do my job a lot easier knowing the kind of aid they need.”The Learning Center also provides computers with free Internet access, to be used for academic purposes.”I often encourage students to make use of the Learning Center,” said Zarrin Paidar, senior Learning Center office assistant. “I have seen students who have shown great progress, and it’s beneficial in all ways.” Students interested in the Learning Center workshops can visit the Web site by going to Pierce’s Web page, clicking on “Student Services” and scrolling down to “Student Success Workshops.”The Learning Centers hours of operation are Monday to Thursday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m, and Friday from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.